66 27 Teves 5777 // January 25, 2017 COMMUNITY Beth Medrash Govoha’s Yarchei Kallah How 48 Hours Transformed 400 People Photo Credits: BMG Harav Chaim Yisroel Weinfeld speaking at Greeting Harav Mattisyahu Salomon, shlita, Mashgiach, Beth Medrash Govoha, Harav Malkiel Kotler, shlita, (R), greeting Harav Zev the melaveh malkah. after he delivered a sichas mussar. Cohen. SHLOMO ISAACSON allows for its participants not just to get a Torah infusion, but to be totally immersed Every year, Rav Idi traveled to learn in Torah for two full days, learning relevant Torah in the beis medrash of Rav. Being sugyos in the same way they are learned three months’ travel away, he departed in yeshivah — by sitting in a beis medrash right after Pesach, arrived with enough and learning. time to learn there for one day, and then The total immersion is the key. Harav began his journey home in order to be Yeruchim Olshin, shlita, explained that the home in time for Sukkos. The Gemara Torah’s ability to purify people is com- (Chagigah 5b) says he was referred to as a pared by the Rambam to a mikveh. “For a “bar bei Rav d’chad yomah — a student of mikveh to make someone tahor, he would the school of Rav for a single day.” Harav Dovid Schustal, shlita, Rosh Yeshivah, Beth Medrash Govoha, speaking at the need to go into it; he can’t just put his hand It was with this maamar Chazal that melaveh malkah. (L-R): Harav Yehoshua Eichenstein, Harav Reuven Halpern, Harav Zev or his foot in and expect it to work. That’s Harav Dovid Schustal, shlita, opened Beth Cohen, Harav Chaim Yisroel Weinfeld, Harav Michoel Frank, Harav Chaim Meyer Roth, not enough! The entire body needs to be Medrash Govoha’s annual yarchei kallah. Harav Eliezer Gewirtzman, Harav Yosef Kushner, Reb Moshe Yosef Drew. immersed in the waters of the mikveh.” “[With just one day of learning] he was “So too is it with Torah,” said the Rosh zocheh to be called a bar bei Rav! The chaburos flying in from various Jewish week. Each chaburah is then sent booklets Yeshivah. “It isn’t enough to put your hand anticipation before coming to the beis communities. Walk into the ballroom of of source material, or mareh mekomos, into the mei hadaas for a short period; you medrash of Rav, and the feelings which the Hyatt and you’ll be able to find peo- from which to learn. The mareh meko- have to immerse yourself in your entirety remained with him in the months after, ple from just about every profession, mos and the structured curricula lay the in the Torah. That’s how you can achieve made him a bar bei Rav for the entire from accountants to doctors to lawyers groundwork for those learning, and act the taharah of Torah.” year. From the chad yoma of learning, he to college professors, and everything in as the key which allows them to access a “That’s this yarchei kallah,” Rav Yeru- became a bar bei Rav for the entire year.” between. depth in various sugyos that many haven’t chim continued. “Der oilam ligt in lernin!” “The same is true with the yarchei But for 48 hours, they check that iden- been able to obtain since their years learn- Rabbanim who came to give shiurim, kallah,” the Rosh Yeshivah told the audi- tity at the door. For 48 hours, they identify ing in yeshivos. and first-time participants, were blown ence. “The two days of learning make it so as nothing but a bar bei Rav. Put simply, the Shivti program helps away by the level of learning and the sheer that when we leave, we leave laden with The yarchei kallah model follows that people overcome the primary obstacle intensity that was tangible throughout the the kedushas haTorah, and that raises us to of BMG’s incredibly popular Shivti pro- which stands between them and the learn- hotel. Harav Michoel Frank, Rav of Kehilas a higher madreigah. It makes us all worthy gram, which helps those who only have ing of Torah b’iyun — in depth. It allows Ohr HaTorah in Silver Spring, testified to of the title of a bar bei Rav, not just for the limited time for limud haTorah by bringing people to circumvent the challenges and the transformative aspect of the yarchei two days we are here, but for the entire a tailor-made and elevated learning expe- hassles of daily life, which would otherwise kallah, starting his shiur by telling the year.” rience to them. Thanks to Shivti, people prevent them from feeling the connection assembled that being able to be a part of The close to 400 participants of this can now accomplish more in their learning with Torah learning they yearn for. Shivti it changes his entire year. year’s program can attest to this. For than they would otherwise be able to in opens the sugyos in a way that allows for Harav Zev Cohen, Rav of Adas four years now, BMG has been hosting an the time they have. an infusion of ruchniyus, one that, as Rav Yeshurun and Rosh Kollel, Choshen Mish- annual yarchei kallah at the Hyatt Regency To help these chaburos, the Shivti team Dovid said, raises their madreigah in a tan- pat in Chicago, made this point as well in in Princeton, New Jersey. It draws baalei of talmidei chachamim crafts detailed cur- gible way. the beginning of his shiur. “I am zocheh to batim from across America, with entire ricula, focusing on a dierent sugya every The yarchei kallah builds on that. It have a kollel in my shul, as well as a morn- Listening to divrei hisorerus from Beth Medrash Govoha Rosh Yeshivah Harav Yisroel Neuman, shlita, after Shacharis on Sunday morning. Ris’cha d’Oraisa. COMMUNITY 27 Teves 5777 // January 25, 2017 67 Mashgiach Harav Mattisyahu Salomon, Harav Zev Cohen answering a she’eilah at the yarchei shlita, arriving at the yarchei kallah. Harav Yehoshua Krupenia delivering a shiur at the yarchei kallah. kallah. ing kollel and an evening kollel — so I am Yeshiva, addressed everyone for one last zocheh to be in the beis medrash for many time, commending them and recognizing hours each day. But I haven’t experienced the importance of what they had done, and anything like this since I left Lakewood. It urging them to continue to build on it, and was unbelievable. The kol Torah that is here, to grow even more in the days ahead. I almost couldn’t hear my chavrusa! I got Rav Shimon cited words of the Chazon so energized from it — I feel like I can go Ish in Emunah U’Bitachon, where he wrote [learn] the next 48 hours straight.” that at times people give up on their own He isn’t alone in feeling that way. The aliyah b’Torah, and instead focus all their yarchei kallah grows by an average of 50 eorts on the hope that they will have percent each and every year, and almost 90 better luck with their children’s education. percent of participants return the following Reb Zev Samel introducing Harav Shimon Alster, shlita, at the siyum closing dinner. (L-R): “I don’t believe the Chazon Ish could have year as well. Once experienced, it is hard to Harav Zev Cohen, Harav Yehoshua Krupenia, Harav Shimon Alster, Harav Aryeh Malkiel been talking about the olam here,” said do without it. Kotler, shlita, Reb Zev Samel, Harav Reuven Halpern, Harav Michoel Frank, Harav Yosef Rav Alster. “Those who came here to learn The incredible level of ameilus baTorah Kushner, Harav Avrohom Yeshaya Frand, Harav Yosef Housman. understand that the way to raise future means that for two days, the ballroom of generations is by their own learning. Every the Princeton Hyatt Regency is transformed into a beis morning in birchos haTorah we make a brachah, ‘laasok medrash, and its occupants into yungeleit. One partici- b’divrei Sorah.’ It’s only through ‘esek haTorah’ — like this pant, Mr. Abe Penzer Esq., of Lakewood, compared it to yarchei kallah — that we can come to the v’haarev na — Gan Eden shel Mattah, expressing his hakaras hatov to the sweetness of Torah, which in turn makes it so that Harav Malkiel Kotler, shlita, for the program in which he tze’etzeinu — our children and grandchildren, become was so immersed that he wasn’t even aware that there lomdei Sorasecha — learners of Your Torah, and most was a coee room set up outside the beis medrash. importantly, it is what makes it that they should be yodei The sugya the yarchei kallah focused on was s’chiras Sh’mecha — becoming baalei emunah.” poalim — the halachos of employment. Harav Chaim It was the drashah of Harav Malkiel Kotler which had Yisroel Weinfeld, Rav of Kahal Toras Chaim in Brooklyn, the most powerful impact. The Lakewood Rosh Yeshivah underscored the importance of the limud, and lauded reminded everyone that a person can work for a living, those who came for two days to learn it. In a powerful and still be m’kayem the words of Rav N’horai (Kiddush- drashah centered on the idea of the ruchniyus aspects in 82) who says “meiniach ani kol umnus she’b’olam v’eini one’s monetary possessions have, Rav Weinfeld read the Harav Moshe Scheinberg (L) learning with members of his melamed es b’ni elah Torah — I will forsake all occupations words of the Bnei Yissaschar, who quoted Harav Mendel shul from Chicago at the yarchei kallah.